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Thursday, July 14, 2011

Bacon Wrapped Green Beans!

Leave it to me to take something healthy and ruin it. Not that adding bacon is ruining it, it's just that whole pesky eating in moderation thing. Which my husband did not practice when eating these. It's not my fault...I have all these green beans coming in from the garden, and How Sweet It Is posted Green Bean Bacon Bundles. What's a girl to do? Well, make them of course...

Wash and thoroughly dry green beans, then season with salt and pepper. Bundle together about 5-8 green beans – this will depend on your size of beans and the amount of beans you get for one pound. Bundle together as many as you’d like! Using a slice of bacon, wrap it around the center of the beans to hold it together. Lay the bundle bacon seam side down in the baking dish to hold it together. Repeat with remaining beans.

Heat a small saucepan over low heat. Add butter, brown sugar and garlic and whisk until melted and combined. Using a pastry brush, brush the mixture over top of each green bean bundle. Cover the bundles with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 10-15 (it took more like 25 minutes for me to get the bacon somewhat crisp, and I still ended up putting it under the broiler for a minute) minutes more, just until bacon gets crispy.

Verdict? Bacon makes everything delicious. Even vegetables.

The only thing for me is that I baked them in a casserole dish, and the beans cooked in all that grease. Which may be the point, but the green beans absorb a lot of that grease, which obviously is not good for you. I think when (when, not if) I make them again, I'll cook them in a roasting pan, with the wire rack, so the beans still get the juices of the bacon while it's cooking, but a majority will drip down into the pan. That should also get the bacon crispier without having to broil it. (b/c I almost always burn everything I put under the broiler - see 1st pic)

These were definitely a winner with the hubs, not so much with the kids. But as you may have noticed, my kids don't like anything!

Since I've been blogging for a year now, I thought it would be fun to look back on previous posts. Fun for me anyway :) So...Last year's Post: Healthy Choices (and ongoing struggle fo' sho')

Looks yummy! Looking at the photos, I was thinking this would be a good Christmas dish too, due to the bean's green and the bacon's reddish colors. And perhaps add a small amount of cheese for the yellow/gold part of the usual Christmas color scheme. Just a thought. :-D

I have put these on the menu for a special party that I am planning. This is a very delicious recipe that we will really enjoy! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again real soon. Have a great week!Miz Helen

Thank you so much for stopping by Cast Party Wednesday last week. I really appreciate you sharing your recipe with us. I hope you will join us again for another awesome party filled with yummy recipes.Thanks Again!

Next time don't bother with melting anything on the stove. I have been making these for years and I have never done it that way. Save yourself the time.

I just line a cookie sheet with foil. Cut the strips of bacon in half (bacon cooks better) and just dump your brown sugar directly over the top of your beans and smooth it around. I just eyeball it...no measuring! Then sprinkle your jarred garlic salt liberally over the top.

Delicious! I like to pound chicken breast (boneless of course) thin & wrap it around the green beans or asparagus, then wrap the bacon on the outside of the chicken, secure with a toothpick & bake! Yum! For added flavor I put a dab of garlic butter & a few cubes of pepperjack cheese inside with the green beans/asparagus before wrapping everything up! Heavenly!

The bundles are wonderful! The kids at home won’t have any reason to not eat the veggies now since bacon strips are wrapped around them. Surely, other readers who are looking for fresh ideas on preparing their food and even restaurant Fort Lauderdale providers will be delighted with this post of yours. I can’t wait to get home to my sister’s house for the weekend and make these bundles! Awesome recipe!

I made these tonight and they were so good! I also made extra of the sauce (don't know how much extra, didnt measure things out) and I put in three bonless skinless thin cut chicken breasts in the pot, covered and boiled until cooked through. Then I put a piece of bacon on each and topped with a piece of swiss cheese and broiled with the beans. SOOO good!! My kids are eating it up like crazy!! Oh and I did cook the beans on a jelly roll pan with a wire rack and covered with tinfoil and they turned out great! Not greasy at all. Thanks for the recipie!!

Been making these for years using canned whole green beans. Easy and come out oh so good. Will dig up my recipe and post here. Close to this one but a few tweaks. Good for when green beans are not in season.